Keynote Speakers

Shola Richards is a workplace kindness expert, global keynote speaker, and bestselling author who has testified before Congress on civility and spoken to organizations across three continents, including Google, Microsoft, and St. Jude Children’s Hospital. His insights help people and organizations become strong enough to be kind, build the strength to stand up for what's right, even when it's uncomfortable, and create workplaces people never want to leave. When Fortune 500 companies and major institutions need to tackle workplace incivility head-on, they call the guy who's made kindness his fight.

Derek Thompson is the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book Abundance, with Ezra Klein. In addition to writing the Derek Thompson newsletter on Substack, he hosts the news podcast “Plain English” with the Ringer Podcast Network, which Time Magazine named as one of the 100 best podcasts of all time in 2025. He is a contributing writer with The Atlantic. Derek is also the author of the national bestseller Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction and Derek Thompson On Work, an anthology of his essays on the past and future of labor and technology. Derek lives in Washington, D.C., with his family.

Jeremy Renner is a two-time Academy Award nominee for The Hurt Locker and The Town, best known for portraying Hawkeye in Mar­vel’s Avengers franchise, with notable roles in Mission: Impossible, American Hustle, Arrival, and the Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown. Jeremy is the cofounder of the RennerVation Foundation, which he established in 2023 with his sister Kym Renner. As an actor, producer, and philanthro­pist, Jeremy is deeply committed to using his platform to make a positive impact on the lives of foster youth in Nevada. Through the RennerVation Foundation, he focuses on supporting programs and initiatives that provide foster children with resources, education, and opportunities for growth.

Kym Renner is a seasoned public service executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in human resources, administration, and child welfare, including oversight of a $1 billion budget and major foster care reform initiatives for Los Angeles County. Kym is president and CEO of RennerVation Foundation, which was founded in 2023 in collaboration with her brother Jeremy Renner. Using her expertise, she is guiding RennerVation Foundation to have a positive impact on the foster youth of Nevada. She is recognized as a leader, collaborator, and advocate, building bridges between county government and community partners to address long-standing social challenges.